Which personal contribution is worthwhile in house construction?

Hello everyone,
we have started planning our single-family house. Construction is scheduled to begin next spring.
Basically, the question now is to what extent we should contribute our own labor to the construction.
In principle, we probably have one of the most important prerequisites for doing our own work, namely time.
My husband can take 6 months off next year for the construction (with hardly any loss of salary).

At first, we thought about classic own contributions like wallpapering, painting, etc.
Now, however, the idea has arisen (to make the most efficient use of the 6 months) to build the shell or at least the basement + garage ourselves. More precisely, we could do the shell together with a self-employed friend who is a bricklayer/tiler. That would mean our friend would work with one of his employees laying bricks and my husband (+ occasionally my father) would do the "assistant work."
We could also lay screed and tiles/ or other floor coverings with this friend.
In addition, we can get windows and doors through our brother-in-law. He works at a window manufacturing company, so we would probably get favorable conditions, and our brother-in-law would also install the windows and doors together with us (is that even feasible with 2-3 people?).
Additionally, there is the possibility of doing the electrical work together with a friend who is an electrician (although I can’t assess how much help or assistance one can provide there).

On the one hand, we want to make optimal use of our available time but not get bogged down with too much own labor. By the way, we are both purely desk workers professionally, and our practical experience so far is limited to painting, wallpapering, occasional assisting at friends’ house constructions, and assembling Ikea furniture.
I am ruled out as a helper because I will probably be fully occupied with our children and providing for the construction site (food & drink) as well as organizational stuff.

What’s your assessment?
Would you have dared to take on so much own labor under these conditions?
We would not do any trade without a professional, but would always cooperate.
Is it possible to save a significant amount this way?
Or from your experience, where is it worthwhile to get involved?

I look forward to your assessment!

Doing it yourself definitely saves money. I would do it again and again. If I had to build again and had the time, I would try the following myself:

1. Masonry - with a mason friend - is doable, but you should be fit.
2. Electrical work - we also did it completely ourselves in the first house. My husband is an electrician.
3. Installing windows - we did this in the outbuilding - but only up to a certain size. For patio doors, a professional would definitely have to be there with me because I am simply too weak for that.
4. Laying underfloor heating
5. Painting
6. Drywall construction
7. Paving the outdoor area
8. Plumbing partially

If you have the time, use it! But I would plan it well beforehand. And don't forget the buffers, because there is always something.

Doing it yourself definitely saves money. I would do it again anytime. If I had to build again and had the time, I would try the following myself:

1. Masonry - with a mason friend - it's doable, but you should be fit.
2. Electrical work - we also did it completely ourselves in the first house. My husband is an electrician.
3. Installing windows - we did that in the outbuilding - but only up to a certain size. For patio doors, a professional would definitely have to be involved for me, because I'm just too weak for that.
4. Laying underfloor heating
5. Painting
6. Drywall construction
7. Paving the outdoor area
8. Partly plumbing

If you have the time, use it! But I would plan it well in advance. And don't forget the buffers, because there's always something.

So you just build yourself Respect..

So being a helper with bricklaying is no problem. Cutting/sawing stones, mixing mortar, and carrying it is something everyone can manage after a short time.

For the electrical work, besides planning and connections, you can do everything yourself. Pulling cables and installing boxes is something everyone can do. But it really is time-consuming!

Windows/doors: the brother-in-law is a professional and probably has experience with it. Handling a window by lifting, holding, and moving it around is something anyone can do.

I have no idea about screed. But you need a machine, someone to shovel, and someone knowledgeable.

Tiles: see bricklaying!

Regarding the half year: everyone always has to have time, stay healthy, and be motivated. Otherwise, it will fall apart.

However, there is massive potential for savings here, since you can practically build the house yourselves except for the foundation, floor slab, and roof. I wouldn’t do any plastering either, but rather use clear facing bricks if allowed and desired.

The expensive item, namely the labor, is eliminated. A true gift for you!

Regards, Joe

In the construction of our house, on average 2 men were employed over 8 months, cautiously estimated. That amounts to over 2500 skilled worker hours, probably even significantly more. Outdoor facilities are additional. Compared to that, an amateur who wants to contribute there for a few months is negligible. If the construction companies believed they could effectively save money with an assistant, they would hire interns.

There is no more unskilled work. The mortar for the shell construction is delivered by truck in the morning, distributed into 10 large buckets, and the buckets are brought to the site by the construction crane. No one stands there with a mixer and wheelbarrow. Even in screed construction, hardly anyone shovels the gravel manually into the pump anymore. A medium-sized single-family house is done in one day.

Hmm, I doubt that half a year in this setup is enough for you to do everything yourselves. I do know people who have helped on construction sites several times and have done masonry themselves. So it is possible! But they didn’t do quite a few things (especially heating, plumbing) themselves and still needed longer than half a year. If your husband has to take the 6 months all at once: keep in mind the drying time of the screed. That is probably the longest forced break.